Harry Potter, A Boy Changed
by Freddy4528
Summary: Travel with our well known hero into the Glades of the Fade, and back to reality. This is my first story, and depending on how things go with reviews and possible beta's I look forward to getting into the deep chasm that is my mind's thoughts. Please read and review :-) possible harem H/Hr to start, powerful, not godlike harry


**A boy changed.**

**This is a story I've been knocking around the old noggin for a little while…as far as I know there isn't another story that goes off the main plot as the one that I'm thinking of. As this is my first story (and I absolutely abhor writing) I welcome any feedback regarding my writing capabilities and grammar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Potter Universe and do not wish to sell anything that I write pertaining to the Potter Universe (not that I could ever get paid for my writing anyway :-P) So please don't ask to pay me or even get the idea in your head that I'm doing this for cash.**

**Chapter One**.

It was just another normal day, well normal considering the situation our young hero found himself in. His life was that of a trapped animal in an unfamiliar place, as his aunt and uncle shipped him off as soon as they could get rid of him. They heard from distant relatives on Uncle Vernon's side of the family, that there was a place off in the middle of the ocean that "special" children were taken when they developed "inhuman" abilities. In this case magical in nature. As soon as they heard of this place they contacted the officials in charge of it, and had sent poor, young harry away, and he'd been living there since he was 4 years old. He was now nearing the age of eleven, which was when most of the children left the living areas, never to be seen again in almost all cases. There had been only two in the many years he had lived there, that had ever returned from the room down the hall. Those two children were forever changed, and never spoke of what happened in that room, and left within a month after. The only way out of this castle, as he thought the place was, was to pass the test and be proven worthy of your magic in the outside world. Why the caretakers chose to have this test used on people of the age of 10 was beyond anybody living there, it was merely a fact of life. Their life.

We join our young hero just a month before he is to turn the tender age of eleven, and must face the test he's been preparing his entire life for. He is now deeply immersed in a book that he has only 2 hours to complete before it gets taken from him, as this book contains fairly volatile concoctions from hard-to-obtain roots and herbs. It's been nearly an hour and a half in his possession, and he hopes to complete it before his time expires.

"Harry", he hears in the corner of his mind. Harry tries to brush off the annoying person that dares interrupt his study time for their mindless squabbling. "Harry, you're going to be late" he hears again. He looks up to find one of the few people he actually admires in this dreadful place, his good friend Andrew. Andrew's shown little progress in the Magical Artsduring his time here, although he'd been here almost as long as Harry has himself. Though, that wasn't entirely fair to point out, as Harry had exceeded any and all expectations of "student's" in this place, that they had all but dubbed him an honorary Merlin.

His friend Andrew walks up to him, "Harry, the service is about to start to get you ready for your test in a month, and make sure you know what's expected of you and I know you don't want to be late for that". A sigh is all that Harry has to offer, as he gets up to hand the just-about-finished book back to the librarian. "You're right, as you usually are, although I had hoped to finish that particular book, I know I have to attend my own ceremony". Harry looks at his friend and wonders just how much his life might change if he passes the final test, though in all probability nothing could prepare him for what is bound to happen in the future.

After the book was back in the librarians hands, Harry followed Andrew down the numerous corridors in this hellish place. Magic may be guided here, but if you use any amount without control, you got severely punished. Harry himself has only been "punished" once in his time here, though he's seen some children that almost never leave the area where they do the disciplining and he truly hopes to never venture into that room again. As the duo finally approach their intended destination, Andrew stops at the door, "Harry, I know you'd like to have a friend in there but". Harry then finishes for him "it's my ceremony and it's forbidden for anybody else to enter, I know the rules just as you do". They clasp hand in a firm almost adult like handshake, and Harry walks through the door.

Inside it takes Harry a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer ambient light than the corridor to be able to see in the room. After his pupils have dilated sufficiently he sees a small group of three waiting for him at the other side of the room. He wastes no time in walking over in the chair obviously meant for him and sits down and as soon as he sits the person in the middle speaks to him. "Young Harry, we have received word that your eleventh birthday shall be in a fortnight, and as you probably already know, your test shall be given on the eve of that birthday". Harry smartly replies, "Yes, I am aware, and am fully ready for the challenge when it is time to face it". The group has a quiet chuckle to his statement, making harry quite uneasy. "There are a few things you must know about this test before you are given it, but you must never reveal what you're about to learn to any child before it is time for them to know it. Otherwise that child shall be" there's a hesitant pause in the speakers voice, "dropped from the tower." Harry's eyes bulge slightly, though it is not a shock they would do such a thing, but to openly admit it seemed callous. "I Harry, shall never utter a single syllable of what I hear in this room to another child in this tower, as long as I shall live" he states in sure confidence, while he doesn't notice the slight glow that comes from him after such a statement, the three surrounding him do, and they exchange worried glanced as to what it could mean.

The figure to the right coughs, "Well, it is this test that all must be judged with to assume their place in the world around them, so that we may know you are worthy of your magic in this world of so many that do not have such a gift" and as the clearly male voice says 'gift', you can hear a subtle distain for the word, "and as you will be doing this test in a little less than a month, you shall be permitted to know something about it that might help you in the test". Harry perks up, reveling in the thought that there might be something to help him pass this test. The middle person talks again, "Harry, this test" and yet another pause, this one far more substantial than the other, "this test doesn't take place on earth."

Out of all the things our young hero could have heard, that was by far the least likely thing he could have imagined. Not on earth? What in the world could that entail?

Harry woke rather groggily the next day. He'd stayed up a bit too long thinking about the information he had gotten the night before. Harry had tried to force more information out of the shaded group, but after being threatened with punishment for pushing the issue he was forced to drop it and walk out of the room. Harry had stayed up analyzing the possibilities of this test taking place in another world and he had come up with just one truth which was, there is a very real chance that nothing he's learned about how his world worked, that would help him with this test. That thought scared him the most, and the only solace he'd been able to come up with in that fact was, at least there had been two people who had passed this very same test.

Harry's focus had changed after that night, so when he woke up the night after he went through his normal morning routine, a half hour jog around an empty room, a half hour of meditation, and finally a small breakfast with fruit. Harry then forwent his normal reading time and went straight to the Magical Aptitude room, what everybody usually calls the "Dud Room" as the only person to truly be able to use it was Harry. Of course he had tried to show the others how he does it, he was unfortunately the only person to truly be able to cast a spell. Everybody else that has tried only came close enough to have a spark or water droplet come out of their hand. So this is where Harry spent his time, every day until his test day and he knew that the only thing that could help him in this strange world was power. Of course his friend Andrew joined him occasionally; He had been one of the "strongest" magical users Harry had met. Where most people were able to make the single droplet or spark, Andrew had been able to produce a small candle like flame and a small glass of water. However, there was still a giant difference between Andrew and Harry, who had been able to throw a fireball and a solid ball of water.

One day, about a week and a half before the test day. Andrew came by after Harry had collapsed for the third time that day saying "Harry, you keep going like this and you won't have enough energy to complete the test…I don't understand what's changed you so much". To which Harry didn't respond, and merely struggled to get back up. "Harry, you're my only friend here and yet you've been more reclusive then ever" To which finally Harry gave a reaction to, he looked up at his first and longest friend. "I have to be stronger, it's the only way…the only way…" and pushed his way past his friend and walked back to his room to rest. Andrew only stood there, and stared at the place his friend had been. He had never been as frightened of this test that he, himself was to take in just half a year.

Andrew had tried a couple extra times to persuade his friend to rest more and take it easier on himself, but to no avail. The reaction was always the same, either he would push past him and go to bed, or get back up to continue throwing whatever amount of magic at the target down the range. Harry's max seemed to be 4 balls of fire or 3 of water, the rest seemed to fizzle or ooze respectively. Though Harry just kept at it, from the time he could get to the room until he barely had enough energy to stand. It was the three days before the big farce as harry liked to call it, "_what kind of test takes you to a different world where nothing you thought true, could be false?" _ that Harry finally slowed down. He had come to the realization that each day he worked himself to the bone; he had fewer reserves the following day. He noticed this when he was only able to cast a single spell before they started to weaken.

So that day Harry sought out his friend Andrew, who seemed to have vanished recently. That seemed to be how it would remain that day, as no matter where Harry looked, he could not find his friend. So he was reduced to waiting for him at the sleeping area. When he finally spotted Andrew, his friend merely did what Harry had been doing to him lately. Andrew pushed past his once friend Harry, and entered his room that he shared with several other people. He had left Harry standing there, feeling the same rejection Harry had forced him to feel. Harry stood there for a few minutes, trying to understand what had just occurred before heading to his bed for the night. The same thing happened the next couple days, and the night before the big test Harry was particularly down-trodden before falling into a restless sleep.

Harry awoke feeling like he hadn't really slept at all, he knew what this day was; he knew that today would decide his fate, and as he walked out the door to head to the testing chambers, he noticed a figure leaning against the opposite wall. This figure was none other than his friend Andrew. "Andrew, I thought you had given up on our friendship…" Andrew gave no visual recognition to the statement, but said but a solemn "Good luck" before walking away. Leaving Harry once again confused on matters he had never experienced before.

Harry walked into the testing chamber for the first time, feeling confused and alone. As he walked in he not only saw a completely different area than he was used to, he also felt a strange buzzing inside the room that he had only felt one other time. That time was in a point in his life he no longer rememberd, but his body seems to as he looks up directly at the basin in the middle of the room.

"Ah, young Harry, I see you've made it." As the man next to the basin talks, Harry can't seem to be able to move his body, or turn his eyes from the basin. The man walks up and places a hand on Harry's shoulder, breaking him from his trance as he looks at this new strange man has never been seen here before in his memory. The hand on his shoulder slowly guides him to the basin, "We all understand if you're feeling nervous, this is a big day after all"As Harry stops a foot away from the strange feeling basin, he finally finds his voice, "So this basin is what will take me where I'm going to go, right?"

The man standing behind Harry narrows his eyes at the young boy in front of him, "Why yes, you're right, what gave it away?"

Harry turns his head and looks at the man again, "I don't really know, but I think I can feel it" He then looks back at the basin and see's nothing inside.

The remaining three people, that Harry failed to notice, look pointedly at the man that guided Harry to the basin and give him a questioning look. The man looks directly at Harry, "You're the first."

"I'm the first what?" the young boy starts looking at all the carved lines around the pedestal the basin is on, and also carved into the floor immediately surrounding the pedestal.

The man sighs, "You're the first child to be able to feel the magic coming from this artifact."

Harry looks around confused for what feels like the millionth time today, "That can't be right, it's there plain as day. How could anybody miss that?"

The man chuckles, "Why don't we let you figure that one out on your own. By the way, my name is Charles and I'll be orchestrating this test for you"

Harry nods his head, "it's nice to meet you Charles"

The newly named Charles smiles at the young boy in front of him, "now before we begin, you have the right to withdraw and end your trials here."

This shocked Harry, he had never heard of being able to withdraw before. "I can withdraw? Why hasn't this been stated before?"

A grave look comes over Charles, "Because to withdraw means your magic will be taken away, and you will be put in an orphanage back where you came from. Will that be what you choose?"

This stopped Harry momentarily, "Has there ever been anybody that's withdrawn?

Charles frowned, "This is a fairly new allowance, we started this 8 years ago. Yes, we've had two people withdraw; they are still in the orphanage they were left in last time I heard"

"But, that means both those people that came back were the ones that withdrew! How many people have ever passed this test?!" Harry couldn't help himself from raising his voice in worry.

Charles walks around Harry to the other side of the basin before he answers, "To this date, there has yet to be a single person pass this test without some sort of mental breakdown"

Harry stared speechless, "_nobody has passed? How can this be? Am I truly ready for such a task? Is anybody? How can they expect an eleven year old to do this?_" all these questions zoomed through Harry's head. It took Harry but a few seconds to come to the realization, "_even if they all failed, I have a chance. They haven't seen me try after all". _ With a determined look at Charles, Harry defiantly states, "I'll do it, I am me, they are them. I will find a way to pass this test"

Charles smiles, and grabs an ornamental dagger beside the basin. "Very well, the only thing you must do is pass this dagger across your hand and let some blood drip into this basin"

Harry wearily eyes the dagger for a couple seconds before he grabs the dagger and runs it across his hand before he can have second thoughts. After a few drops hit the basin, everything goes black.

**I will get into a habit of cliff hangers, it makes it more entertaining for me. :-P as always read and review. Next chapter will be the new mysterious world.**


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